Candle wax composition and method of making

ABSTRACT

Wax compositions are provided with improved properties for candles and candle jars. The candle wax composition includes a major amount of a foots oil and minor amount of a 600N slack wax. In one form, the foots oil is a 150N foots oil that is included in the composition at from 70 to 80 weight % of the composition and the 600N slack wax is included in the composition at from 20 to 30 wt % of the composition. The candle wax composition provides substantially no oil bleed and a smooth surface appearance with improved burning properties in terms of soot production, wax consumption, melt pool depth and flame height.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/300,120 filed Feb. 26, 2016, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to wax formulations for use in candles.More particularly, the present disclosure relates to wax formulationsthat demonstrate improved oil bleed, a smooth exterior finish, lowsooting and no wax tunneling when used in candles.

BACKGROUND

Although candles have been produced for millennia, certain problems incandle production still remain Specifically, candle producers desirecandle waxes that demonstrate little or no shrinkage, little or no oilbleed, a smooth exterior finish, a pleasing and stable appearance, lowsooting, no wax tunneling and the ability to retain fragrance. Candlesare traditionally made of petroleum derived waxes with mostly normalparaffin (n-paraffin) content, lower molecular weights, and thereforelower melting points. While candles with high n-paraffin content retainthe proper color and texture desired by candle makers, they are oftenplagued by excessive shrinkage and poor fragrance retention.

While all of the above properties are important to candle makers, themost important property is the melting point of the wax. Candle makersuse Fully Refined Waxes (“FRW”), which usually have less than 1% oilcontent, as the largest, if not only, wax type in their candles. Onoccasion, candle makers add microwax or polymers, to enhance thecandle's properties, but these additives are costly relative to the wax.Low Melting (“LM”) point wax usually melts at 128° F. (53° C.) or less.Waxes of this type are typically used for container candles, i.e.,religious novena candles and decorative, fragranced jar candles.Typically LM FRW is gray in appearance and demonstrate relatively highshrinkage. Mid Melting (“MM”) point waxes usually melt between 128 and145° F. (53-63° C.) and are often used for higher quality containercandles and free standing candles. MM RHC™ FRW are gray in appearanceand demonstrate only slightly less shrinkage than LM FRW.

High Melting (“HM”) point waxes, melting at greater than 145° F. (63°C.), are not commonly used in the candle industry. While waxes of thistype typically demonstrate less shrinkage than either LM or MM RHC™waxes, other significant disadvantages have prevented their use in thecandle industry. HM FRW waxes are not used as candles because theyexhibit a “tunneling” effect. That is, the candle burns straight downinto the candle, leaving walled sides. The tunneling effect has provenhighly commercially unattractive for both jar and stand-alone candles.The tunneling effect is caused because the “pool” of liquid wax thatforms on the top surface of a burning candle does not extend far fromthe flame, due to the high melting point of the wax. Thus, the candletends to be consumed unevenly, carving out a cylinder in the center ofthe candle. A solution to this problem would be to use a larger wick,but this produces a larger and higher flame—again a commerciallyunattractive option.

Shrinkage is a common problem experienced in candle manufacture. As amolten candle wax solidifies, the volume shrinks. In some cases thisshrinkage can be beneficial, for example in helping a poured candle pullaway from the sides of a mold making it easier to remove. However, waxshrinkage usually produces an unwanted concave effect on the top of thecandle. Candle manufacturers must often re-melt the top portion of thecandle or even resort to a second pouring of the candle wax formulationto level the top should excess shrinkage occur. In container candles,shrinkage can lead to candle separation from the side of thecontainer—another undesired effect. Shrinkage has been directly linkedto the amount of n-paraffin in the candle wax. Candle waxes containingabout 100% n-paraffin will shrink approximately 12 to 15% by volume oncooling. Candle waxes containing about 75% n-paraffin will shrinkapproximately 8 to 12% by volume on cooling. Candle waxes containingabout 50% n-paraffin will shrink approximately 6 to 8% by volume oncooling.

Several methods have been developed in an effort to control excessiveshrinkage in container candles. Typically shrinkage is controlled byintroducing components that will disrupt the n-paraffin crystalformation. Historically, the addition of high molecular weightisoparaffins (in the form of microwax or petrolatum), oxygenatedmolecules (such as carboxylic acids, carboxylate esters) and polyolstructures have helped control shrinkage. However, these solutions areusually costly, can alter the color and texture of the candle, and, insome cases, raise the melting point to an unacceptably high level.

Another significant concern for candle makers is oil bleed. Oil bleedcan be defined as the migration of oil or oil-type molecules out of andonto the surface of the solid wax. The appearance of oil on the waxcandle surface is generally regarded as an unacceptable appearancephenomenon. The oil can be derived from the natural oil content of thepetroleum wax or from added oily components in the candle formulation,including fragrance oils and carrier solvents for fragrance packages.Petroleum waxes of all types contain some amount of oil. Fully refinedwaxes have typically less than 1%, more often less than 0.5%, oilcontent (as measured by the ASTM D-721 test method). Scale waxes are lowoil content slack waxes. With further refinement to improve color andodor, typically by hydrotreatment, scale waxes can be upgraded tosemi-refined waxes that can have from 1% to about 5% oil content (asmeasured by the ASTM D-721 test method). Semi-refined waxes have foundlimited use in container candles, in spite of their typically lowercost, because of a greater tendency to exhibit oil bleed in a formulatedcandle.

Historically, methods for improving oil bleed or fragrance hold incandle manufacture include: 1. addition of high molecular weightmicrowax (derived from bright stock), 2. addition of petrolatum(petroleum jelly), 3. addition of other additives, and 4. rigorouscontrol of process conditions, such as cooling rates and sequences.

While helping to minimize oil bleed, the addition of microwax andmodified waxes often causes additional problems of shrinkage (seeabove). The addition of petrolatum or petroleum jelly is relativelyexpensive and significantly softens the candle. Other additives can alsobe expensive and/or can negatively alter the appearance and shrinkagecharacteristics of the wax and candle formulation. Finally, varying thecooling rates and sequences is labor intensive and often varies with theslightest difference in the underlying candle wax.

Another important attribute for candle manufacturers is the color anduniformity of the raw candle. The impact of raw wax color and appearanceon the final candle formulation can be significant. For example, atranslucent gray LM fully refined wax will provide a differentappearance in a given candle formulation than higher melting, moreisoparaffinic wax that has a more cloudy, white-gray appearance. Candlemakers typically formulate for a given type of base wax and strive tomaintain a consistent color and appearance for each candle formulation.A wax that exhibits a rich, creamy opaque whiteness can provide thecandle maker with new and improved options for candle formulation. Interms of appearance, having a smooth exterior finish of the candle isalso needed.

A growing number of Group I refineries are closing as demand increasesfor Group II and Group III lubricant base stocks. As a consequence, thevolume of paraffinic wax available in the marketplace is diminishing. Tocompensate for this loss in volume candle wax customers are utilizingalternative wax sources to meet their needs. Hence there is a need fornew wax compositions for candles that would increase the overall waxvolume by using stranded or underutilized wax streams.

As discussed above, Group I refineries are being converted to Group IIand Group III refineries, which has resulting in a decrease in waxsources for candle jar wax. As such, there exists a need to find othersuitable wax sources for candle jar wax formulations that yieldacceptable properties. In addition, there is a need for a waxformulation that yields a smooth candle finish because in recent years,the candle industry has expressed a growing interest in a smooth candlewax as the industry moves away from non-smooth (mottled) candles.

SUMMARY

Presently described are candle wax compositions and methods for makingand using the same to improve the performance characteristics of candlesand candle jars. It was surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered thatthe individual components (foot oils and slack wax) used in the candlewax compositions disclosed herein are not good candle wax candidatesalone, but when the individual components are combined at certainratios, the resultant wax demonstrates low oil bleed despite a highoil-in-wax content, a smooth exterior finish, low sooting behavior andno wax tunneling. Furthermore, the wax consumption is reduced versuscommercially available jar candle waxes.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a candle wax compositioncomprising a major amount of a foots oil and minor amount of a 600Nslack wax. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a candlewax formulation comprising a major amount of a 150N foots oil and minoramount of a 600N slack wax.

In certain embodiments, the composition comprises about 70% to about 80%of 150N foots oil and about 20% to 30% of 600N slack wax. In particularembodiments, the composition has an oil bleed less than about 100 mg(e.g., less than about 75 mg, less than about 50 mg, less than about 25mg, or less than about 1 mg).

In an additional aspect, the disclosure provides items formed from thewax compositions as described herein. In certain embodiments, the waxitems include a candle or a crayon. In a particular embodiment, thecandle is ajar candle.

In an embodiment, the candle wax formulation of a jar candle comprisesat least one of the following burning properties: a dropping point in arange of about 50° C. to about 58° C., a soot production in a range ofabout 400 to about 450 μg Soot/g wax, a melt pool depth of about 6 toabout 14 mm (e.g., about 8 mm to about 12 mm), a flame height to meltpool ratio in a range of about 0.8 to about 1.2 (e.g., about 0.9 toabout 1.1), and wax consumption per hour is about 1.8 to about 3 g/hour(e.g., about 2 to about 2.7 g/hour). In an embodiment, the melt pooldepth and the flame height to melt pool ratio is based on a 4 hour burncycle for the candle.

The present disclosure also provides a method of making a candle waxcomposition comprising the steps of: providing a major amount of a footsoil and minor amount of a 600N slack wax, heating the foots oil and the600N slack wax to a temperature above the melting temperature of thefoots oil and the 600N slack wax, blending the heated major amount of afoots oil and the minor amount of the 600N slack wax to form ahomogenous heated composition, and cooling the homogenous heatedcomposition to room temperature to form a candle wax composition.

Where applicable or not specifically disclaimed, any one of theembodiments described herein are contemplated to be able to combine withany other one or more embodiments, even though the embodiments aredescribed under different aspects of the disclosure.

The preceding general areas of utility are given by way of example onlyand are not intended to be limiting on the scope of the presentdisclosure and appended claims. Additional objects and advantagesassociated with the compositions, methods, and processes of the presentdisclosure will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art inlight of the instant claims, description, and examples. For example, thevarious aspects and embodiments of the disclosure may be utilized innumerous combinations, all of which are expressly contemplated by thepresent description. These additional advantages objects and embodimentsare expressly included within the scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the disclosure provided toaid those skilled in the art in practicing the present disclosure. Thoseof ordinary skill in the art may make modifications and variations inthe embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit orscope of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all technicaland scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosurebelongs. The terminology used in the description of the disclosureherein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intendedto be limiting of the disclosure. All publications, patent applications,patents, figures and other references mentioned herein are expresslyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise (such as in the case of a groupcontaining a number of carbon atoms in which case each carbon atomnumber falling within the range is provided), between the upper andlower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value inthat stated range is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper andlower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included inthe smaller ranges is also encompassed within the disclosure, subject toany specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the statedrange includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either bothof those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one stepor act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarilylimited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method arerecited.

The following terms are used to describe the present disclosure. Ininstances where a term is not specifically defined herein, that term isgiven an art-recognized meaning by those of ordinary skill applying thatterm in context to its use in describing the present disclosure.

The articles “a” and “an” as used herein and in the appended claims areused herein to refer to one or to more than one (i.e., to at least one)of the grammatical object of the article unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. By way of example, “an element” means one elementor more than one element.

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of’ or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e., “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of.”

The term “about” or “approximately” means an acceptable experimentalerror for a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill inthe art, which depends in part on how the value is measured ordetermined. All numerical values within the specification and the claimsherein are modified by “about” or “approximately” the indicated value,and take into account experimental error and variations that would beexpected by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of’ and “consistingessentially of’ shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively, as set forth in the 10 United States Patent Office Manualof Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from anyone or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Petroleum waxes include waxes recovered by, e.g., the solvent dewaxingof waxy hydrocarbon oil streams as part of the petroleum refineryprocess including slack waxes and also includes hydrocracked waxes.Other petroleum waxes include waxy petroleum stocks such as waxydistillates, raffinates, petrolatum, microcrystalline waxes, etc. Forexample, paraffin wax is a white or colorless soft solid derivable frompetroleum, coal or oil shale by distillation. The feedstock for paraffinwax is slack wax, which is a mixture of oil and wax. The lower thepercentage of oil in the wax the more refined it is considered(semi-refined versus fully refined). The product wax may be furtherprocessed to remove colors and odors.

Paraffins (general formula C_(n)H_(2n+2); wherein n=1 through 400) are amixture of hydrocarbons containing from about 18 to about 60 carbonatoms per molecule. Paraffins can be arranged either in straight chains(i.e., normal or n-paraffins) or branched chains (i.e., isoparaffins).Longer-chain paraffins are major constituents of waxes. Lower molecularweight paraffins have a lower boiling point, while higher molecularweight paraffins have a higher boiling point. Therefore, separation ofparaffins by the carbon number is possible.

Non-petroleum waxes include triglyceride waxes and other biobased waxes(e.g., tallow waxes, soy waxes and palm waxes).

Paraffin waxes are petroleum derived and primarily derived from solventdewaxing of lubricant base stocks. After separation of lubricant basestocks, the waxes obtained are typically slack waxes having a high oilcontent of 5-50%. Slack waxes can be further deoiled to an oil contentof 1-5% and will be called scale wax in that case or to less than 1% oilcontent and would be called fully refined paraffin wax in the lattercase. Depending upon the distillation cut, these waxes could belong toany of the viscosity grades as described in Table 1 and thus could be alight, medium of heavy viscosity grade. Due to lower level of refining,slack waxes have a much lower market value than fully refined waxes.

TABLE 1 Comparison of Wax Viscosity and n-Paraffin Content. Grade (SUS)% n-paraffins 100-300 45-65 300-500 35-50 500-650 10-35 650-850  5-20850+  0-10

As discussed earlier, light viscosity grade slack waxes typically have ahigher n-paraffin content than heavy viscosity grades slack waxes andhence are preferred for use in wood and composite board coatings, sincethe industry perception is that higher n-paraffin content providesimproved water repellency. One exception is oriented strand boardconstruction/composite board application, where use of heavy neutralslack waxes is customary, because of use of higher processing platetemperatures, which necessitate the use of larger molecular weightwaxes, which are less volatile.

Slack wax is a mixture of oil and wax, obtained from lubricating oil.Slack wax is the crude wax produced by chilling and solventfilter-pressing wax distillate. It serves as feedstock and that isfurther refined and blended to create value-added petroleum waxproducts. More specifically, slack wax is obtained by solvent dewaxing awaxy lube oil stock which produces a slurry comprising solid particlesof wax and a mixture of dewaxed oil and solvent. This slurry is sent tosolid-liquid separation means, such as a rotary drum filter, wherein thewax is deposited on the filter drum as a wax cake and the solution ofdewaxed oil and solvent removed from the filter as a filtrate. The waxcake is washed with solvent while on the filter drum. The washed waxcake removed from the filter drum is known as “slack wax.” This slackwax contains significant amounts of wax or waxy oil having a meltingpoint broadly ranging from about 30 degree F. to 80 degree F., which isreferred to as “foots oil” or “residue wax.” It is necessary to removethe foots oil from the slack wax in order to produce a higher qualitywax product having a higher melting point. Foots oil is the oil sweatedout of slack wax and takes its name from the fact that it goes to thebottom, or foot, of the pan when sweated.

Crudes suitable for lubricant base stocks have a relatively high value.It is conventional to treat such crudes by subjecting them toatmospheric distillation followed by vacuum distillation from which thelube base stock boiling range cut is taken, solvent extracted, usuallywith furfural, and then solvent dewaxed, usually with methyl ethylketone or the like to produce a product which, upon filtration, isseparated into a lubricant base stock and a wax. In order to furtherpurify the wax fraction into a product of extremely high value, it issubjected to conventional deoiling from which a rather hard waxy productis recovered and from which a mixture of oil and soft wax by-product isalso produced. This mixture of oil and soft wax is generally referred toas foots oils.

It is conventional to recycle the foots oil produced in this waxrecovering process to a catalytic cracker of one sort or another, ifsuch exists in the refinery in question, or, if possible, to sell thefoots oil as cracker feed stock to another refinery. Another alternativeis to degrade the foots oil into a heavy fuel oil fraction. This isprobably the poorest of the alternatives from a monetary return point ofview. The present disclosure has identified another useful and highvalue product (candle wax composition) that the foots oil may beutilized for.

Presently described are candle wax compositions and methods for makingand using the same to improve the performance characteristics of candlesand candle jars. More particularly, presently described are candle waxcompositions and methods for making and using the same to improve oilbleed, provide a smooth exterior finish, and also provide low sootingand no wax tunneling when used in candles. The candle wax compositionsdisclosed herein include a combination of foots oil and slack wax. Itwas surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that the individualcomponents (foots oil and slack wax) used in the candle wax compositionsdisclosed herein are not good candle wax candidates alone, but when theindividual components are combined, the resultant wax demonstrates lowoil bleed despite a high oil-in-wax content, a smooth exterior finish,low sooting behavior and no wax tunneling. Furthermore, the waxconsumption is reduced versus commercially available jar candle waxes.Foots oil, with as much as 40% oil, leads to excessive sooting uponburning. The high melting point of 600N slack waxes (>60° C.) results inunacceptable wax tunneling upon burning. When foots oil and slack waxare combined in appropriate proportions to form an inventive candle waxformulation, these waxes demonstrate low sooting behavior and no waxtunneling. Furthermore, the wax consumption is reduced versuscommercially available jar candle waxes.

The candle wax formulation of the instant application provides similarand improved candle quality performance compared to candles producedfrom other paraffinic waxes. Moreover, the candle wax formulation of theinstant application utilizes a stranded wax stream (foots oil) that isoften times used as cat cracker feed in a refinery. The use of the footsoil in the candle wax formulation of the instant application upgradesthe value of this typically low value wax and introduces additional waxvolume into the marketplace for candle applications. The candle waxformulation disclosed herein provides a smooth candle wax that can findapplications in the premium jar candle industry. The formulation alsohas superior oil bleed control which is unexpected and surprising giventhe high oil content of the parent foots oil and resultant wax blend.Despite the high oil content of the candle wax formulation disclosedherein, the burning behavior is comparable with premium candle waxes.Furthermore, the candle wax formulations disclosed herein burn at alower wax consumption rate, which is advantageous for religious candles.

The evaluation of candle waxes requires both a qualitative andquantitative assessment. Candle appearance is the primary quality anend-user customer employs in the purchase of a finished candle product.As such, candles should have either a uniform smooth or non-smoothfinish with no oil bleed on the candle surface. More specifically forjar candles, candle manufacturers evaluate whether a candle wax blendproperly adheres to the sides of the glass jar and with no frosting orcracking of the wax surface. A quantitative evaluation of burnperformance is conducted by candle manufacturers where minimal sootingand reasonable wax consumption are desired. Additionally candlemanufacturers may assess melt pool formation (i.e. time to form fullmelt pool), melt pool depth and flame height; where ideally the ratio offlame height to melt pool should be 1.

The instant disclosure provides a candle wax formulation comprising amajor amount of a foots oil and a minor amount of a slack wax. The footsoil may range from 100N to 200N, or from 125N to 175N with 150N beingadvantageous. The slack wax may range from 500 to 700N, or from 550 to650N with 600N being advantageous.

The instant disclosure also provides a candle wax formulation comprisinga major amount of a 150N foots oil and a minor amount of a 600N slackwax. In certain embodiments, the composition comprises about 70 to 80 wt% 150N foots oil and about 20 to 30 wt % 600N slack wax. In particularembodiments, the composition has an oil bleed less than about 100 mg(e.g., less than about 75 mg, less than about 50 mg, less than about 25mg, or less than about 0 mg).

In an additional aspect, the disclosure provides items formed from thewax compositions as described herein. In certain embodiments, the waxitems include a candle or a crayon. In a particular embodiment, thecandle is ajar candle.

In an embodiment, the candle wax formulation of a jar candle comprisesat least one of the following burning properties: a dropping point in arange of about 50° C. to about 58° C., a soot production in a range ofabout 400 to about 450 μg Soot/g wax, a melt pool depth of about 6 toabout 14 mm (e.g., about 8 mm to about 12 mm), a flame height to meltpool ratio in a range of about 0.8 to about 1.2 (e.g., about 0.9 toabout 1.1), and wax consumption per hour is about 1.8 to about 3 g/hour(e.g., about 2 to about 2.7 g/hour). In an embodiment, the aboveproperties are based on a 4 hour burn cycle for the candle.

The candle wax formulations of the present disclosure provide superiorperformance in controlling oil bleed despite a high oil-in-wax contentand achieve a smoother exterior finish. The individual components of thecandle wax compositions of the present disclosure are not good candlewax candidates. This is because foots oil with as much as 40% oil hasexcessive sooting upon burning and the high melting point of 600N slackwaxes (greater than 60° C.) result in wax tunneling upon burning, bothof which are not favorable for candle jar wax formulations.

The candle jar wax compositions of the present disclosure have lower waxconsumption versus currently utilized waxes. Furthermore the flameheight to melt pool ratio of the candle jar was compositions of thepresent disclosure are at approximately the desired target value of 1.Although the degree of sooting is greater than the currently utilizedwaxes, the proposed wax blends have very low sooting behavior incomparison to many waxes currently available for candle applications. Infact, the candle jar was compositions of the present disclosure are onpar with premium candle waxes, but sources from low value wax streams,e.g., stranded wax stream (foots oil).

In one particularly advantageous form, the candle wax compositiondisclosed herein includes a combination of a 150 N (solvent neutral 150SUS viscosity) foots oil and a 600 N (solvent neutral 600 SUS viscosity)slack wax.

The candle wax composition includes a major amount of a foots oil. Theamount of the foots oil in the composition may range from 55 to 95 wt %,or from 60 to 90 wt. %, or from 65 to 85 wt %, or from 70 to 80 wt %. Inone preferred form, the candle wax composition includes from 70 to 80%of foots oil. In an even more preferred form, the candle wax compositionincludes from 70 to 80% of a 150 N foots oil (a high oil-in-wax soft waxproduct).

The candle wax composition includes a minor amount of a slack wax. Theamount of the foots oil in the composition may range from 5 to 45 wt %,or from 10 to 40 wt. %, or from 15 to 35 wt %, or from 20 to 30 wt %. Inone preferred form, the candle wax composition includes from 20 to 30%of slack wax. In an even more preferred form, the candle wax compositionincludes from 20 to 30% of a 600 N slack wax (high melt).

The candle wax composition may also include at least one coloring agentand/or at least one fragrance. The at least one coloring agent may beincluded in the candle wax composition at from 0.5 to 5 wt %, or from 1to 4 wt %, or from 2 to 3 wt %. The at least one fragrance may beincluded in the candle wax composition at from 0.5 to 5 wt %, or from 1to 4 wt %, or from 2 to 3 wt %.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxmay have a dropping point ranging from 51 to 57 deg. C, or 52 to 56 deg.C, or 53 to 55 deg. C. The candle wax compositions disclosed hereinincluding a majority of a foots oil with a minority of a high melt (forexample 600 N) slack wax may have a dropping point of 51, or 52, or 53,or 54 or 55, or 56, or 57 deg. C.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxmay have substantially no oil bleed on the candle surface. Substantiallyno oil bleed may be defined as less than 100 mg, or less than 50 mg, orless than 40 mg, or less than 30 mg, or less than 20 mg, or less than 10mg, or less than 5 mg, or less than 2 mg, or less than 1 mg of oilbleed.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxyield a candle with a smooth surface appearance. In addition, in candlejar applications, the candle wax compositions disclosed herein includinga majority of a foots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example600 N) slack wax may yield excellent adherence to the side of the jarwith no frosting and no cracking of the wax surface upon burning.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxmay generate an amount of soot upon burning of between 400 and 500 μgsoot/g wax, or 410 and 490 μg soot/g wax, 420 and 480 μg soot/g wax, 430and 470 μg soot/g wax, 440 and 460 μg soot/g wax.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxmay generate an amount of wax consumption upon burning of between 2.0and 2.6 g/hour, or 2.1 and 2.5 g/hr, or 2.2 to 2.4 g/hr, or 2.3 and 2.4g/hr.

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxmay generate a melt pool depth on burning of between 5 and 15 mm, or 6to 14 mm, or 7 to 13 mm, or 8 to 12 mm, or 9 to 11 mm, or 10 to 11 mm

The candle wax compositions disclosed herein including a majority of afoots oil with a minority of a high melt (for example 600 N) slack waxwill not form wax tunnels when burned and will form a complete melt poolupon burning. More particularly, the candle wax compositions disclosedherein including a majority of a foots oil with a minority of a highmelt (for example 600 N) slack wax may provide a flame height to meltpool depth on burning of between 0.5 and 1.5, or 0.6 to 1.4, or 0.7 to1.3, or 0.8 to 1.2, or 0.9 to 1.1, or 1.0 to 1.1.

Methods of Making the Candle Wax Compositions

In an additional aspect, the disclosure provides methods of making thecandle wax compositions as described herein.

The components of the candle wax compositions disclosed herein can becombined through various different processes known to those of skill inthe art. By way of non-limiting example, the description provides amethod of making the wax compositions as described herein according tothe steps of admixing the wax components (600N slack wax and foots oil),melting and homogenizing the wax components by stirring and heating themixture in a vessel at a temperature approximately 15° C. above themelting temperature of the higher melting wax, and optionally blendingan optional additive, e.g., a coloring agent or fragrance, in the wax ata temperature of approximately 5 to 20° C. above the melt temperature ofthe wax composition with continuous stirring for sufficient time tofully dissolve the coloring agent and/or fragrance in the waxcomposition.

In certain embodiments, the method includes a step of admixing the 600Nslack wax and the 150N foots oil as well as any additives (such ascoloring agents and/or fragrances) and heating to a temperaturesufficient to completely melt all components in the mixture whilestirring.

In one form, the method of making the candle wax composition disclosedherein includes the steps of: providing a major amount of a foots oiland minor amount of a 600N slack wax, heating the foots oil and the 600Nslack wax to a temperature above the melting temperature of the footsoil and the 600N slack wax, blending the heated major amount of a footsoil and the minor amount of the 600N slack wax to form a homogenousheated composition, and cooling the homogenous heated composition toroom temperature to form a candle wax composition.

The method of making the candle wax composition may also include thestep of adding one or more coloring agents, one or more fragrances orcombinations thereof into the blending step. The one or more coloringagents may range from 0.5 to 5 wt % of the composition. The one or morefragrances may also range from 0.5 to 5 wt % of the composition.

In a preferred form of the method of making the candle wax composition,the foots oil is a 150N foots oil and is included in the composition atfrom 70 to 80 wt % of the composition. In another preferred form ofmaking the candle wax composition, the minor amount of the 600N slackwax ranges from 20 to 30 wt % of the composition.

The method of making the candle wax composition disclosed hereinprovides advantageous wax compositions with substantially no oil bleedon the surface, a smooth surface appearance, and a dropping point offrom 50 to 58 deg. C.

The method of making the candle wax composition disclosed herein alsoprovides wax compositions with improved burning properties in terms ofsoot production, wax consumption, melt pool depth and flame height.

The following non-limiting examples are provided to illustrate thedisclosure.

Examples

Examination of Candle Jar Wax Formulations and Candle Jar Production.

Table 2 lists the physical properties, burning performance and candleappearance attributes of Reference Slack Waxes currently available andthe parent waxes (Foots Oil and Parent Waxes 1 and 2) used in the waxformulations examined below. Parent waxes 1 and 2 are 600N slack waxesused in the inventive candle wax compositions disclosed herein. TheFoots oil in Table 2 is a 150N foots oil used in the inventive candlewax compositions disclosed herein. Reference 1 and 2 slack waxes arelower melting relative to the Parent 1 and 2 slack waxes as seen by thedifferences in dropping point in Table 2.

Although the Reference Slack Waxes on their own are not smooth anddemonstrate oil bleed; candle jar manufacturers often blend additionalwaxes to obtain a smooth finish where oil bleed is minimized Thereference waxes however have ideal melting points for jar candles, withreasonable wax consumption upon burning, and relatively low sooting.Tables 2-4 below list the dropping point for all waxes for consistency.600N slack waxes (high melt) (shown as parent 1 and 2 in Table 2-4) andthe resultant blends could not be measured by melting point, thusdropping point was used as an equivalent test. Comparative testingindicates only a marginal difference between the two determined values.

Table 2 depicts the individual properties of the waxes used in theinventive and comparative wax compositions. References 1 and 2 refer tolower melting slack waxes (for comparative wax compositions) and Parents1 and 2 refer the high melt 600 N slack wax for use in the inventive waxcompositions with foots oil.

TABLE 2 Reference and Parent Wax Properties Oil Melt in Dropping SootWax Pool Flame Wax Point % n- [μg Soot/ Consumption Oil Depth TopHeight:Melt (%) [° C.] paraffins g wax] [g/hr] Bleed [mm] AppearanceShrinkage Pool Depth Reference 1  1 53 58  63 3.7 Yes- 10.5 Not SmoothNone 1.4 droplets Reference 2  4 56 42  77 3.9 Yes-  9.0 Not Smooth None1.7 droplets Foots Oil 40 42 30-40 4400 3   No 50.0 Not Smooth None 0.3Parent 1 15 67 38  262 2.5 No  0.0 Smooth with Cracks unable to Frostform melt pool Parent 2  6 67 28  214 3   No  0.0 Smooth with Cracksunable to Frost form melt pool

Individually, the parent waxes are not ideal jar candle waxes. Foots oildemonstrates good appearance properties, being both smooth and having nooil bleed, despite a very high oil content (candle customers generallyexpect good candle waxes to have less than 20% oil). It is in theburning evaluation that foots oil fails to succeed where most notably asignificant amount of soot upon burning is generated (e.g., foots oilwith as much as 40% oil has excessive sooting upon burning).Additionally, the low dropping point causes nearly the entirety of a 5oz. candle to liquefy upon burning, which is not a desirable burningbehavior. Parent waxes 1 and 2 are not ideal for smooth candles basedsolely on appearance. The exterior surface, although smooth, is found tohave a significant degree of frosting where the wax has dis-adhered ordelaminated from the glass jar. In addition, the wax cracks andpartially tunnels on the top of the candle. Although Parent Waxes 1 and2 appear to have reasonably low sooting this is attributed to the highdropping point that effectively impedes the waxes ability to form acomplete melt pool. As a result these parent waxes demonstratedtunneling upon burning.

Foots Oil (a high oil-in-wax soft wax product) were combined with eitherParent Wax 1 or 2 (comprising a high melt 600N slack wax) such that themajority of the formulation was composed of foots oil as shown in Table3. The resulting wax products yielded smooth finished candle waxesdemonstrating superior oil bleed control and excellent burningcharacteristics. In particular, 70 to 80 wt % foots oil was blended with20 to 30 wt % parent wax 1 or 2 to form the inventive candle waxcompositions. These wax formulations surprisingly and unexpectedlyresulted in the desired melting point/dropping point targets of about50° C. and about 57° C., respectively.

Table 3 highlights the physical properties and candle appearanceattributes of wax blends comprising 80 wt % foots oil and 20 wt % of aspecified paraffinic wax [Wax ‘X’]. The appearance properties of the waxformulations that utilized Parent Wax 1 and 2 in combination with footsoil are also shown in Table 3. As is shown in Table 3, Fully Refined Wax1 and Slack Wax 1 were observed to yield oil bleed with varyingseverities. Additionally, the use of 20% Semi Refined Wax resulted in anon-smooth candle finish. Thus, these three wax blends were unable tomeet the required candle wax appearance targets. Furthermore at thespecified ratio, the dropping point was too low for a jar candleapplication. The percent n-paraffin content of Wax ‘X’ may negativelyinfluence these properties whereby high n-paraffin content leads toeither oil bleed or a non-smooth finish. Several waxes shown in Table 3[Slack Wax 2 and Petrolatum] met the requirements for smooth finish withno oil bleed, including the candle jar wax formulations of the presentdisclosure. Additionally, these waxes at the specified ratioapproximately met the desired low end melting point/dropping pointtarget of 50° C. As shown in Table 3 below, the inventive waxcompositions including 20 wt % of 600N slack wax (Parent 1 and 2) with80 wt % foots oil yielded a smooth candle surface appearance with no oilbleed with a dropping point of the blend falling within the preferredrange of 50 to 57 deg. C.

TABLE 3 Appearance properties for wax formulations containing 80% Footsoils. Dropping Oil % n-paraffins Point of Bleed Optimum in Wax ′X′ blend[° C.] [mg] Appearance Range Parent1 38 52 No Smooth >10% Parent 2 28 51No Smooth >10% Fully Refined 80 44 1710 Not Smooth TBD Wax 1 FullyRefined 47 53 TBD Smooth TBD Wax 2 Petrolatum 10 56 No Smooth but TBDdark colour Semi-Refined 66 46 TBD Not Smooth TBD Wax Slack Wax 1 77 44 383 Not Smooth TBD Slack Wax 2 26 49 No Smooth TBD

Table 4 below further demonstrates the burning characteristics of thesewax blends at both 20 wt % and 30 wt % of Wax ‘X’. At both 20 wt % and30 wt % Wax ‘X’, Parent Waxes 1 and 2 (600N slack wax) demonstrate theleast amount of sooting upon burning compared to low melt comparativeSlack Wax 2 and Petrolatum. Increasing Wax ‘X’ from 20 wt % to 30 wt %increased the amount of soot when Slack Wax 2 and Petrolatum werecombined with foots oil, while the amount of soot generated did notappreciably change when increasing the concentration of Parent Wax 1 or2 (high melt 600N slack wax) from 20 wt % to 30 wt %. Although the waxconsumption was generally found to be lower for wax blends using SlackWax 2 and Petrolatum (versus Parent Waxes 1 and 2), the candle wax didnot burn correctly; that is, the melt pool did not fully form in the 4hour burn cycle consequently causing the candle wax to tunnel duringburning. The only exception is Slack Wax 2 at 30 wt % in which the meltpool forms, however the wax blend had significantly more soot generatedversus the wax formulation of the present disclosure.

Parent Waxes 1 and 2 (600N slack wax) were found to have lower waxconsumption versus the Reference Waxes (waxes utilized in current candlejar wax formulation). This is advantageous for the customer whereby aspecific burn time is a requirement for successful candle wax selection.Furthermore the flame height to melt pool ratio was approximately thedesired target value of 1. Although the degree of sooting was greaterthan the Reference Waxes, the proposed wax blends including 20 to 30 wt% 600N slack wax with 70 to 80 wt % foots oil have very low sootingbehavior in comparison to many waxes currently available for candleapplications and it is expected that the soot performance of theseinventive candle wax composition will be competitive in the marketplacefor candles, and candle jars.

TABLE 4 Burning properties for wax formulations containing 70% and 80%foots oil. Melt Dropping Soot Wax Pool Flame Point [μg Soot/ ConsumptionDepth height:Melt [° C.] g wax] [g/hr] [mm] Pool Depth Burning Comments20% Parent 1 52 402 2.1 8.3 0.9 20% Parent 2 51 466 2.2 8   0.8 20%Petrolatum 56 423 1.8 0   Did not form Candle did not form melt poolcompletely, wax tunnels when burned 20% Slack Wax 2 49 518  1.92 0   Didnot form Candle did not form melt pool completely, wax tunnels whenburned 30% Parent 1 56 438 2.6 10   1.2 30% Parent 2 57 433 2.4 12   1.230% Petrolatum 64 922 1.6 0   Did not form Candle did not form melt poolcompletely, wax tunnels when burned 30% Slack Wax 2 52 994 2.3 5   1.4

While preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be understood that such embodiments areprovided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes andsubstitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that theappended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit andscope of the disclosure.

The contents of all references, patents, pending patent applications andpublished patents, cited throughout this application are herebyexpressly incorporated by reference.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain usingno more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specificembodiments of the disclosure described herein. Such equivalents areintended to be encompassed by the following claims. It is understoodthat the detailed examples and embodiments described herein are given byway of example for illustrative purposes only, and are in no wayconsidered to be limiting to the disclosure. Various modifications orchanges in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the artand are included within the spirit and purview of this application andare considered within the scope of the appended claims. For example, therelative quantities of the ingredients may be varied to optimize thedesired effects, additional ingredients may be added, and/or similaringredients may be substituted for one or more of the ingredientsdescribed. Additional advantageous features and functionalitiesassociated with the systems, methods, and processes of the presentdisclosure will be apparent from the appended claims. Moreover, thoseskilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no morethan routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specificembodiments of the disclosure described herein. Such equivalents areintended to be encompassed by the following claims.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. A method of making a candle wax compositioncomprising the steps of: providing a major amount of a foots oil andminor amount of a 600N slack wax, heating the foots oil and the 600Nslack wax to a temperature above the melting temperature of the footsoil and the 600N slack wax, blending the heated major amount of a footsoil and the minor amount of the 600N slack wax to form a homogenousheated composition, and cooling the homogenous heated composition toroom temperature to form a candle wax composition.
 18. The method ofclaim 17 further including the step of adding one or more coloringagents, one or more fragrances or combinations thereof into the blendingstep.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the foots oil is a 150N footsoil.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the major amount of the 150Nfoots oil ranges from 70 to 80 wt % of the composition.
 21. The methodof claim 20 wherein the minor amount of the 600N slack wax ranges from20 to 30 wt % of the composition.
 22. The method of claim 18 wherein theone or more coloring agents range from 0.5 to 5 wt % of the composition.23. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more fragrances range from0.5 to 5 wt % of the composition.
 24. The method of claim 21, whereinthe composition has substantially no oil bleed on the surface.
 25. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the composition has a smooth surfaceappearance.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the composition has adropping point of from 50 to 58 deg. C.